This invention relates generally to devices and methods for injecting foodstuffs, and more particularly to a needleless injecting system and method for needlelessly injecting a food subject with liquid.
As food tastes evolve and consumer palettes become more sophisticated, food producers and restaurateurs are finding new opportunities to experiment with flavors, colors and innovative cuisine. Further, with continuous growth and competition in the food service industry, food producers continuously seek to distinguish their products from others by providing consumers with foodstuffs having unique combinations of ingredients, flavors, colors, and textures.
It is desirable not only to add new flavors or spices to food, but also colorants for intensifying or altering the color of certain foods. Adding color to food products can increase the aesthetic appeal for the food and enhance the natural flavors of the food. In the creation of new and unique food products, changing the color of a particular food can instantly boost the appeal for the food to a particular consumer group. For example, a food producer may increase the desirability of a food among children by producing the food with vibrant or unique colors.
In addition, as scientists identify new and healthy food components, the ability to increase the nutritional content of certain foods while preserving or enhancing the food's flavor is desirable. For example, it may be advantageous for food producers to fortify foods lacking in micro-nutrients such as vitamins or minerals to effectively maintain and improve the overall nutritional quality of the food before it is served. Indeed, in an institutional setting such as a school or a hospital, it may be highly desired to increase the nutritional content their meals.
Further, ingredients such as dietary fiber, protein, omega-3 fatty acids, triglycerides, carotenoids, terpenes, antioxidants, enzymes, fat soluble vitamins, or other nutritionally beneficial ingredients can be added to foods that naturally lack or lose the healthy nutritional ingredients during processing. Moreover, natural colorants derived from fruits, plants or vegetables, such as carotene, add color to a foodstuff while also increasing its nutritional value.
It may also be desirable to supplement food products with other constituents in order to increase the taste or attractiveness of the food to a consumer. Energy enhancing components such as ginseng, or other herbal components such as gingko biloba, may be added to foodstuffs to increase the functional benefits of the food product. Further, preservatives such as sugar, salt, sulfites, or nitrates are commonly added to foods such as meat, to help prevent the growth of bacteria and maintain a food's smell, flavor and appearance.
Therefore, it would be highly desirable for food producers to be able to custom tailor not only the flavor, color, and texture of food products to a consumer's specific needs, but also the nutritional content and overall appeal of the food.
In the field of meat processing, several examples of needleless injection devices exist. In particular, it is a common practice to cure or tenderize meat by adding salts, sugars, spices, and/or preservatives to achieve a certain effect, taste or color.
For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,016,004 and 3,436,230 disclose a device and method for injecting preservative or other curing solution under high pressure into meat in a continuous processing environment. The meat is conveyed by a conveyor system to an injection station and injection nozzles must be moved into position for injection. The injection nozzles are brought into contact with or are positioned immediately adjacent to the meat subject in order to eliminate damage to the meat tissue.
In addition, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,176,071, 6,014,926, 6,165,528, 6,386,099B1 also disclose large, industrial meat processing devices that convey meat subjects into position and inject the subject using spray nozzles. Each patent teaches spray nozzles in direct contact or spray nozzles oriented immediately adjacent to a meat subject.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,739,713 and 3,814,007 disclose a needleless injection device and method for injecting in which a meat subject is secured to a table which is stationary throughout an injection. The injection nozzles of these patents are arranged to ensure contact with the meat subject during an injection.
However, the aforementioned needleless injection machines and injection methods utilize large injection systems geared for use in large-scale meat production/processing facilities and require significant floor space in a plant or manufacturing facility. Many of the aforementioned patents disclose systems that are conveyor driven to move the meat subject into place for injection. In addition, in order to achieve a uniform dispersion of fluid in the meat subject, these machines recite injection nozzles that are adjustable in orientation, and synchronized with movement of the conveyor system if possible.
Importantly, each and every one of these known devices recite methods for injecting meat with brines that require the injection nozzles to touch or contact the surface of the meat or food surface, increasing the chance for bacterial or microbial growth and food contamination.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,053,237 discloses a needleless injection machine for injecting a meat subject that is placed on a stationary platform with brine or tenderizer. The injection nozzles do not contact the injection subject during the injection run; however, the entire injection process including the liquid marinade, water bath, the injection nozzles, and all processing equipment are exposed to the wet operating environment.
Indeed, all of the aforementioned patents disclose injection systems that are totally exposed to the wet working environment, which adds to the potential for contamination of the equipment and/or the meat subject, which increases the likelihood of mechanical failure due to exposure of the process equipment to wet conditions, and which increases the chance for operator injury. Further, all of the aforementioned patents provide systems or methods that are capable of delivering only one tenderizer/solution at a time to a meat subject, which requires the system to be shut down and sanitized before different or additional solutions can be used.
Accordingly, there is needed a device and method for uniquely flavoring or otherwise enhancing the properties of food that minimizes the risk for food or equipment contamination, that is efficient and easy to use in a small operational environment, and that can deliver more than one type of injection solution.
It is accordingly the primary objective of the present invention to provide an efficient and compact needleless injection device capable of rapidly injecting a food subject that is suitable for use in small food production facilities, restaurants, or other institutional food preparation environments. It is a related objective of the present invention to provide an injection device that is easily movable from one operational area to another and easily positioned and installed, further maximizing the types of operational environments in which the device can be used and increasing the overall utility of the device.
It is another objective of the present invention to provide a totally enclosed, needleless injection device in which the mechanical and electrical elements used for operation of the device are completely enclosed within the device, increasing the safety of the device and minimizing exposure of the elements to moist or humid environments, thereby minimizing device maintenance, increasing the useful life of the device, and minimizing the potential for operator injury. It is a related objective of the present invention to provide a totally enclosed injection device that includes an injection environment that is sealed off from the operating environment during an injection run, to minimize exposure of the food subject to external contaminants and to minimize exposure of moving parts to injection spray. It is yet another objective of the present invention to provide a needleless injection device and an injection environment that is easy to clean and sanitize to further minimize the potential for food contamination.
It is yet another objective of the injection device of the present invention to provide injection nozzles that needlelessly inject a foodstuff without contacting the foodstuff, and without requiring the nozzles to be positioned immediately adjacent to the foodstuff, while also delivering a uniform dispersion of injectate within the food subject. It is a related object of the present invention to provide injection nozzles that can be easily removed for cleaning, or easily exchanged, depending on the type of food product to be injected or the pressure required to inject the subject.
It is a further objective of the present invention to provide a needleless injection device capable of injecting more than one type of flavor, color, tenderizer, vitamin, mineral, herbal extract, anti-microbial solution, anti-bacterial solution, or other food additive either alone or simultaneously with other types of liquid injectate during a single injection run. It is a related objective of the present invention to provide a needleless injection device capable of injecting liquid into a wide variety of food stuffs, including but not limited to meat, cheese, fruits, or vegetables. It is a related objective of the present invention to provide a needleless injection device capable retaining injection fluid at its required temperature, reducing the risk of injectate spoilage.
The needleless injection device of the present invention must also be of construction which is both durable and long lasting, and it should also require little or no maintenance to be provided by the user throughout its operating lifetime. In order to enhance the market appeal of the apparatus of the present invention, it should also be of inexpensive construction to thereby afford it the broadest possible market. Finally, it is also an objective that all of the aforesaid advantages and objectives be achieved without incurring any substantial relative disadvantage.